Broomfield veterans museum hosts Gettysburg anniversary talk

Hobbyist's vivid presentation puts a face to the historic battle

By Megan Quinn Camera Staff Writer

Posted:
07/06/2013 02:08:25 PM MDT

Dressed in the navy blue uniform of a Union Major, Bob Moulder leaned over his collection of muskets, bayonets and documents he has collected over the years from the Civil War. Sepia-toned photos showed the stoic faces of soldiers who fought on both sides of the battle.

"Anyone can read a book about Gettysburg, but I want to put a face with the battle, a meaning to everything," Moulder said, pointing to each soldier's face. "This guy was there. This guy was there."

Moulder, an avid student of Civil War history, shared his knowledge of the historic Battle of Gettysburg during a presentation at the Broomfield Veterans Memorial Museum on Saturday. Those who attended the talk helped to mark the 150th anniversary of the battle, considered by many historians to be the most important engagement of the Civil War.

Fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg was a bloody and game-changing battle for both the Confederate and Union armies, he said.

After Confederate leader Robert E. Lee's major victory in Northern Virginia in May 1863, he was confident and ready to lead his army into a second invasion of the North. On the Union side, George Gordon Meade had just been named Major General and was ordered to pursue Lee's 75,000-man army into southern Pennsylvania.

After three days of fighting in Gettysburg, Confederates managed to break through the Union's lines, but not without costing the Confederate Army 28,000 soldiers. Union soldiers lost about 23,000 men in the battle before the Confederate army retreated.

Though the Confederacy would go on to win other victories, historians see Gettysburg as the battle that turned the tide back in the Union's favor.

Four months after that battle, Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg address, which Moulder recited out loud to the audience.

He emphasized the line, "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."

Moulder said the Broomfield Veterans Memorial Museum, designed to honor all veterans, was an ideal place to remember the finer points of the battle and its history-changing aftermath.

"We certainly have not forgotten, here at the 150th anniversary," he said as he saluted the audience with his sword. "We pay homage to those on both sides who gave us our heritage that we celebrate now."

Moulder grew up during World War II, a time "when everyone in the neighborhood was playing soldier," he said. As a kid, he imagined his own intricate battles, but by the time he finished high school, he was ready to join the military for real.

He joined the Navy in 1952, where he served during the Korean War as a radioman.

As a hobby, the Civil War has always fascinated him, he said.

Unlocking the stories behind Civil War artifacts is a major draw for the Civil War collector. Along with swords, guns and photos of soldiers, he has been able to piece together details of soldiers' lives through other clues.

Lockets with faded photos, pieces of red, white and blue ribbons worn as mementos and handwritten notes add humanity to the battlefield, he said.

One of Moulder's particularly poignant artifacts is a small book of poetry inscribed with a message from Phillipa Field, the wife of a Confederate soldier.

On another page, however, another set of handwriting tells the next part of the story: "This book was taken from the dead body of a Confederate Soldier by me during the Battle of Gettysburg. F. G. Patterson, Lieut. 5th Maine Vols."

Audience members said the talk shed new light on a long-ago era.

Broomfield resident Steve Derus brought his teenage son, Riley, in order to learn more about the war's history.

Derus wanted his son to get more exposure of the important battle's history, even though it meant getting up early on a summer Saturday morning.

"It was a really nice presentation, something special to recognize the anniversary" of Gettysburg, Derus said. "I want to come back and see the whole museum when I have more time."

Bob Moulder, an avid student of the American Civil War, dressed in a Union Major's uniform and posing in front of a flag at the Broomfield Veterans Memorial Museum's Coffee and Conversation on Saturday.
(
David R. Jennings
)

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